Omaha Public Library and MCC materials collection, an enhanced children's area and the city's largest Spanish language collection. Charles B. Washington Branch The Charles B. Washington Branch is a branch library of the Omaha Public Library located at 2868 Ames Avenue in North Omaha. Original library service to North Omaha was a deposit station in a notions store. The branch library was established in 1921 in an old church building at 25th and Ames Avenue. It was called the North Omaha Branch. Within 10 years of the building service to the Omaha Public Library, the building began to deteriorate. The old church building was replaced by a newly built library building in 1938 at 29th and Ames Ave. The first 29th Street location served the community for 30 years before overcrowding made the building obsolete. In 1972 a federal grant allowed the branch to be rebuilt again at the same location. The 1972 location was designed by Dana Larson Roubal & Associates architects. In 1986, the North Branch Library was renamed the Charles B. Washington Branch after a longtime civil rights advocate. In 2006 a major renovation and expansion was completed focused on upgrading the exterior of the building and increased the technology available at the branch. Mayor Mike Fahey, performers from North High School and University of Nebraska at Omaha, and actor/rapper Ice-T attended. A new teen center is unique to Omaha's public library system, along with a large collection of African American materials. The library is also home to a new community technology center, along with a new outdoor sculpture reading garden. Omaha artist Yanna Ramaeker's two bronze sculptures and a giant birdcage containing bronze birds interpret Maya Angelou's poem "Caged Bird." Ramaeker designed the sculptures and garden to be a peaceful environment for reading and meditation. Since 2002 the Omaha Community Kwanzaa Group has hosted an annual celebration at the branch. In 2007 it hosted StoryCorps oral history gathering exhibit, along with a presentation entitled "North Omaha Architectural History," which focused on Omaha architects Thomas Rogers Kimball and Cap Wigington. Former libraries The Omaha Public Library draws its roots to the Second Library Association which existed from 1872 to 1877. However, several current Omaha Public Library branches started off as independent libraries. The Benson Village Library, Bess Johnson Elkhorn Library, Millard Library, and the South Omaha Carnegie Library are all predecessors of Omaha Public Library branches. See